2020.12.23 – Saxe Weekly – The Saxe weekly

December 23, 2020

Dear Saxe Family,

We can all appreciate the importance of being present and living in the moment. I am certainly not one to wish away time, but the symbolism of turning the page on the calendar to “2021” is certain to feel more significant this year than any year prior. Though it has not been without its challenges (to say the least), we still have much to be grateful for, and, to be proud of. Each day that passed was a success and as the days, weeks, and months add up, we should take a moment to reflect on all that was accomplished.

While it may look different, our students continue to “do school”, socialize (safely), learn, grow, and be “kids” throughout a period of time that will surely remain in their memory banks for decades to come. The fact that we are able to be part of their lives, and their development, is truly one of the highest honors that I can imagine. The Saxe Weekly is intended to be a snapshot of what makes our learning community a special one. Thank you to everyone who makes it so!

This week in the Saxe Weekly, we take a look at our positive school climate, support and gratitude, Science, STEM, World Language, Saxe Soaring Hawks, Math, Saxe Spirit, Community Service, Art, Garden Club, Dogs of Saxe, and much more. Enjoy and I wish you all a wonderful holiday break, Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy NEW Year! “See you” all in 2021…

Best wishes,

Dave Gusitsch

Principal, Saxe Middle School

Upcoming Noteworthy Dates:

12/24 – 1/3: Winter Break – Happy Holidays, Happy New Year, and ENJOY!

1/4 – 1/8 – Remote Learning

Noteworthy Reminders:

Saxe Middle School will be closed over the holiday break (enjoy!). Upon our return, we will operate in the remote modality for the week of January 4-8. All students should follow their regular daily schedule. For more detail/information, please reference Dr. Luizzi’s email from Monday.

*Quotes that resonated with us this week:

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine—and shadows will fall behind you.” – Walt Whitman

“Extraordinary things are always hiding in places people never think to look.” – Jodi Picoult

“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.” – Dr. Seuss

Support and Gratitude

We are so grateful for our NCPS Board of Education and the support they provide us. We are certainly proud to serve in a community that is fully committed to our students… Please check out the wonderful Op-Ed that was in the New Canaanite this week. Thank you to each member that makes up our first-class BOE.

Positive School Climate

Do we believe that it is important to start the day off on a positive note? Absolutely… How do we help students walk through our doors with a smile? With staff members like Mr. Tiscia (aka, Olaf) who are committed to creating and maintaining a positive school culture. Enjoy!

Here is a look behind the scenes before showtime! Thanks to Ms. Sherwood for the costume assist and continuous stream of spirit as well.

The Week Before Break…

What does school look like during the last week of 2020? At Saxe, we are proud and grateful that it looks like, “this” (below)… A big shout out to our amazingly resilient students and incredibly committed staff!

And, in 7th-grade Art, students practice drawing from various perspectives while enjoying some nice music and a cozy Smartboard “fire”… There was some amazing talent on display.

Grade 6 Science

Last week grade 6 purple students collected evidence that supports the continental drift theory.

Grade 7 STEM workshop

Ms. Rovinelli Grade 7 Purple Team Workshop Challenge: Students were challenged to design a pencil case that is useful and meaningful for a classmate. Each student interviewed their partner to discover their partner’s pencil case needs and wants. Students were then challenged to design and create the ideal pencil case to meet their partner’s needs.

World Languages

Mandarin

Celebrate Christmas in 6th-8th grade Mandarin classes!

Latin

Latin Students worked on learning Winter Words! They decorated a VIR NIX (snowman) with those Latin words! Common words included: fasciae crurales (stockings), ningit (snowing), and trachea (sledding).

Thank You, Teachers

Below is a powerful Teacher Holiday Appreciation Video | “The Gift that keeps on Giving” | by, Jeremy Anderson. Thanks to Ms. Beatman for sharing this great tribute.

Saxe Soaring Hawks

The purpose of the Saxe Soaring Hawks is to celebrate remarkable work. Teachers and students are invited to submit work that they think is remarkable in any way. Students may have shown growth in a particular way or exceeded expectations to exhibit level four thinking. We are just beginning this initiative and hope to have many more to share next month. This is just a way to spotlight the remarkable work that students do every day at Saxe. A special congratulations to Lily Roen, Lia Lavin and Taliyah Green for their work in curating and creating this first issue! Please see the first edition of the Saxe Soaring Hawks here!

Math

The 2020 AMC8 results are in, and Saxe has so much to be proud of. We had 29 students participate in the contest this year, a new record, with many students being completely new to math competitions. Congratulations to team advisor, Ms. Wolff, our top scoring competitors, and all who participated!

Gold Medalists (Score of 18)

Alex Yuan (Grade 8)

George Wang (Grade 6)

Silver Medalist (Score of 16)

Cormac Kilkenny (Grade 7)

Bronze Medalists (Score of 15)

Brandon Ma (Grade 8)

Serra Savasoglu (Grade 7)

Additional kudos to Alex and George, whose score of 18 earned an Honor Roll Certificate for placing in the top 5% Nationally!!

Saxe Spirit

6th-grader, Izzy Kim, was inspired by the school mascot with the great sketch!

Office Spirit!

A BIG thanks to the PTC for helping with some new Saxe Artwork!

Community Service

Ms. Line and Ms. Devine’s homerooms teamed up to make pinecone bird feeders that were donated to Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. The bird feeders will be given to the zoo’s Winter Arts Festival guests to hang in their backyards. Feeders benefit birds during the winter when natural food supplies are scarce and can significantly help bird populations. Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo is committed to the preservation of endangered animals and actively develops strategies that will protect and preserve their wild habitats.

Food Drive

Ms. Line and Ms. Devine’s homerooms teamed up to collect non-perishable food items for New Covenant Center in Stamford. The mission of New Covenant Center is to provide a nutritious meal to all those who are hungry. Thank you to all who donated their goods and time!

Art Department Sock Drive

This year the Saxe Art Department held its annual Sock Drive. All members of the Saxe community were invited to participate by bringing in a warm pair of men’s socks to be distributed at local services such as the Open Door Shelter and The Pacific House. This year was our 20th year contributing socks to these organizations and we hit it out of the park with the most socks collected ever! Thank you all so much for your generosity and showing that Saxe really cares!

Saxe Spirit and Pajama Day

Lots of great spirit at Saxe for the last school day of 2020! Today, we celebrated one of our charter words, comfortable. This can mean many things, but for today, it meant pajama day!

Credit Dr. Clapp and Ms. Robinson with the photo-bomb…

Many of our staff members joined in the fun, too! Here are a few…

And did you ever wonder what Olaf does in his spare time? Why, he teaches “snowman students” of course!

Support System

As we go into our holiday break, we hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday season. If you, or someone you know, may need any emotional support during this time, please find a list of contacts, here.

Dogs of Saxe

Garden Club

There is way more to the Saxe Garden Club than planting and growing… Yesterday, there were some great moments, and memories made, while getting some activity & fresh air!